Feel It Breathe Dark

Feel It Breathe Dark

...by Rochelle Lynne...

I'm sure that God would not mind anything thing a bit unusual. He made quite a few unusual people, and I daresay that he is amused by it.

-Samantha, 'The Red Hat'

Ginny shut her eyes as she slowly sank to the floor. It was cold in this house. It was cold and it was dark... and it was so...

So alive, intertwining it's coils of dark magic through her body, tugging lightly at the tips of her heart, her soul. Ginny could feel it sinking into her, trying to weave it's way around her mind, trying to unlock doors that she had worked so hard to shut.

She knew whom it was trying to free.

The sixteen-year-old boy who still haunted a small corner of her mind... it knew Tom. It wanted Tom.

So alive.

Ginny miserably placed her head in her hands as she took calming breaths to steady herself. She couldn't fall apart now... not after three years of fighting for her sanity. She had fought the battle tooth and nail. She wasn't going to give in just because she was in a place that seemed to know who she had once served.

You didn't serve him, she harshly reminded herself.

She knew what she said was true, but she felt the house almost mock her thoughts. She shook herself mentally. The house cannot talk! It is not alive!

But the cold seeping feeling in her bones told her otherwise.

Biting her lip to stop the torment of the strained thoughts, she shut her eyes and tried to visualize her room at the Burrow. Her room at her own house. It was safe there. There were no dark snakes on the door. No horrible breathing in the entranceway. No God-awful tapestries hanging in the kitchen. No voices. The Burrow's image gradually focused in her mind. She was safe there, at home.

Home wasn't here.

"You can go in now."

Ginny's head jerked up as the image of the Burrow fled from her mind. Hermione was looking at her with a mild concern and Ron looked as if he wanted to ask her what Dumbledore wanted to talk to her about. Ginny shuddered. She didn't need to supply answers. Not when it should have been so obvious what was happening. Couldn't they feel it? she thought with a bewildered thought.

I speak for you alone.

Ginny balked. That voice wasn't hers. A feeling seized her violently and suddenly she wanted to be sick all over the hallway. Her terrified eyes clashed with Ron's and she knew that he was going to ask her what was wrong. She couldn't answer him... not now....

With a dart, she rushed into the study and slammed the door in Ron's face.

"Ah, Miss Weasley."

Ginny snapped up, her brown eyes laced with a hysterical panic, and latched onto cool blinking blue eyes behind half moon glasses. It was only Dumbledore. Trying desperately to calm down, she fished for an explanation as to why she had abruptly slammed the door in Ron's face.

"Sorry Professor, he just looked like he was going to ask me-" she started.

Dumbledore interrupted it with a wave of his hand, although he looked as if he didn't believe her. "I have an older brother, Miss Weasley. I know the feeling far to well."

"You have an older brother?" Ginny asked, momentarily stunned. For some reason, the concept of the beloved Headmaster fighting with a brother was almost hysterically funny. A grin cracked across her face as all thoughts of the house fled from her mind as she struggled to picture Dumbledore bickering with his brother. A picture of a long bearded wizard came into mind before Dumbledore interrupted her thoughts once again.

"Yes... just one. Aberforth. He was with the Order the first time around, but unfortunately got in a mix up with some goats..." he said, a small frown crossing his features as he lost himself in memory. This continued for about a minute, which left Ginny feeling very self-conscious and slightly stupid when she realized that he had broken from his thoughts and was now looking at her with curious eyes.

"Sit down for a moment?" he asked causally. Thankful for a chance to move, Ginny plopped onto the couch and got straight to the point.

"Why did you want to talk to me?" she asked him. He regarded her for a moment more before leaning back and letting his long spindly fingers play with themselves.

"I know what kind of an effect this house is having on you," he said simply, ignoring the slightly stunned look on her face. "And I also know what it wants from you... you have been possessed by one of the most powerful wizards of all time, Virginia. And this house can feel the presence that he once had in your mind."

"You mean the house is alive?" she asked him finally. Dumbledore's brow furrowed for a moment.

"Not exactly alive, but close. This house has been made to exist by itself for a very long time... over ten years. When something has that amount of dark energy poured into it, it tends to... develop a personality of it's own."

"So the house is alive?" Ginny repeated. Dumbledore managed a weak nod.

"In some ways, yes."

"Why can I hear it? What does it want?" she demanded, leaning forward intently. Dumbledore seemed to be weighing his words very carefully.

"It feels that you were once a tool of a dark wizard," he concluded at last. "It wants to reawaken that power in you, but there are ways that you and I can prevent it," he told her, his eyes glowing with an excited light. "You must fight this battle with the house quietly, Virginia. I daresay your mother would have my head if she knew... but you will not have to fight the battle alone. I will alert Remus of your condition, and I will be here from time to time. If you feel that you are losing... come to us, and we will find a way to get you out."

"I want out now," Ginny mumbled quietly. "But I'll fight... if you'll tell me how.."

"Keep others around.. I think that the twins have picked up on the energy more than they let on... stay occupied, and for heaven's sake, laugh once in awhile."

Ginny managed a weak smile as the Headmaster stood up, and walked to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I wouldn't have you here if I didn't think you could handle it..." he said quietly. Ginny nodded and gave him a brave smile as he turned and left the room.

Handle it?

I speak for you alone…

Ginny felt tears spring to her eye and she angrily wiped them away. She would handle it.

"No," she said firmly to the empty study. "You will speak to no one, do you hear me? I am not dark."

I can feel your darkness.

"No! That's gone. It's done and I won't have it. No more!"

I can feel-

"No!"

Ginny waited on hinged breath, and a very pregnant pause ensued. She was aware that her hands were clenched into fists, and she was staring around the study with a fierce hateful glance. She could feel herself breathing heavily... and the house was silent.

And Ginny weakly smiled.

***

That morning, Ginny was sleeping peacefully in her bedroom at Number 12. Her mum had warned her that she would have to move in with Hermione when Harry arrived, but Ginny found she didn't care much. The house was quiet, and the slow feeling of it ensnaring her had altogether vanished.

Right now, all that Ginny could feel was a warm darkness, images of Quidditch flashing across her brain. She was riding Fred's boom, having nicked it from the broom shed and she could feel the warm puffs of air rippling through her hair as she dodged the bludger.

"Ginny!"

Ginny looked down, and saw Neville standing in the middle of the pitch. He was waving at her, and Ginny squinted. Was he wearing... bunny slippers? She frowned, and the frown turned to a red, embarrassed shock as she realized that he was naked. Her face grew warm and she averted her eyes, feeling the heat of her cheeks against the cool wind.

Suddenly the image melted away, and Ginny was aware that she was snuggled very comfortably in her bedcovers. One of her brothers was shaking her shoulder gently.

"Mrumhp..." Ginny moaned in protest, sinking farther into her pillow.

"Ginny, if I were you, I'd wake up and move," he said. Ginny frowned as she blinked at him. It was George, and he looked torn between amusement, and... pity?

"Why?" she asked groggily as she shut her eyes again. George stepped back and shook his head sadly.

"Because, baby sister, Fred is-"

A loud 'pop' and another grinning Weasley later, and suddenly Ginny knew why George had the conflicting look on his face. She sat bolt upright as a painful amount of weight settled over her kneecap. "Ow! Get off of my legs," she said, punching Fred sleepily.

"-not very good at Apperating just yet," George finished, sounding amused. Ginny scowled.

"Good morning, my favorite sister," Fred greeted her joyfully. Ginny smacked him again, a bit more awake.

"I'm your only sister, you prat. Now get off of my legs before I hex you," she threatened. Fred's eyes winded in understanding as the memory of the bat boogie hex that she had set loose on him the end of last year came back into his memory. He scrambled off of her legs and Ginny flopped back into the warm recesses of her bed gratefully.

"You aren't very nice," Fred said, absentmindly rubbing the spot on his arm where she had whacked him.

"Yes, just for that, we won't tell you who's coming in today," George added. Ginny rolled her eyes and threw her blankets over her head. She wanted to go back to sleep...

"As long as it's not Tom Riddle, I don't really bloody," she said, her voice slightly muffled. There was a slightly stunned silence after this. Not only because she had used He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's real name, but because she had...

"Language, baby sister!" George gasped, sitting on one side of the blanked covered lump. Ginny tried to kick him off, but he pinned her legs down. Fred plopped on the other side of her, and lightly swiped at her feet.

"Can't go around talking like that," he reprimanded her. Ginny shut him up with another well-aimed smack.

"Aren't you the littlest teensiest bit curious about who could be coming?" George teased as Fred rubbed his arm sulkily. Ginny's mind stopped. They had only seen Lupin and Snape since yesterday... and now someone they knew was coming? Maybe it was...

Ginny forced herself not to hope.

"Not really," Ginny lied.

"It's your two eldest brothers..." Fred trailed off, forgetting to sulk.

"Bill and Charlie?" Ginny gasped before she could help herself.

"Yep."

Ginny threw the covers off of her head and stared, disbelieving, at the twins' identical freckled faces. "They're coming here?" she asked.

"Yes, and from what we can gather, they are bringing some friends. Charlie's bringing two of the girls he works with, and Bill has made friends with some Egyptian wizard over there.." George told her, looking pleased. Ginny vaguely wondered exactly how the twins knew this. They weren’t told anything about the Order, who was coming or going, or when they would leave.

"I wonder if the girls are good looking..." Fred mussed, breaking Ginny's train of thought.

"Romanian girls, I wonder what they are like..." George sighed happily. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"How do you know?" she finally asked, looking at her brothers. Fred and George put the thought of enticing Romanian girls on the back burner as they beamed at one another. George then proceeded to reach into his pocket grandly and pull out what looked like flesh colored string.

Ginny frowned.

"These, my darling sister. The very first thoroughly tested Weasley Wizard Wheeze," George said proudly, coddling the string like a newborn baby.

"Extendable Ears!" Fred interrupted gleefully.

"What are they?" Ginny asked, wondering what was so special about a string. Knowing Fred and George, she thought to herself, probably something really odd.

"Why, only the most superb thing to ever grace wizard-kind," George said, looking offended at the look on his sister's face. He sat on her bed, squashing her feet in the process. Ginny tried to kick him, but he dodged it easily.

"You take the string, and then place said string in the direction of the room that you would like to eavesdrop on," he told her, letting the string unroll onto the floor. It wiggled.

"For example," he said, as the string inched away. Ginny shuddered, it reminded her of a snake. Fred and George didn't seem to notice as they excitedly went on.

"This goes right into Ron's room..." George said, grinning wickedly. Fred took the end of the string and held it up to his ear, his eyes lighting up.

"Ah, Hermione is in there..."

George scrambled over to Fred, bending his head in eagerly. He suppressed a chuckle.

"This is very interesting," was all he managed to get out. Ginny frowned. What were they doing?

"What?" she asked, sitting up. Fred motioned her over.

"You take said piece of string and hold it up to your ear... like this," he said, and the string split into three threads, allowing each of them to have an earful of the sounds echoing throughout Ron's room. Hermione was indeed in there, and they seemed to be arguing heatedly over something.

"I can hear them," Ginny gasped, amazed. All those explosions in the house... they had been working on this? It was brilliant and Ginny felt very proud of her twin brothers. They nodded happily as she held the string to her ear again.

"Why are you still writing him?" Ron demanded so loudly that all three of them jerked back from the ears slightly. Ginny and the twins exchanged uneasy looks. They had heard this conversation many times before, but were surprised that they seemed to be going at it again... especially right after they had gotten here.

"Why do you care?" Hermione asked.

"Because it's Victor Krum, that's why! He's evil, Hermione."

Fred hid a snort of laughter in his hand. Ginny rolled her eyes. Honestly, her brother was so think sometimes.

"He is not! He's perfectly respectable and-"

"He is using you to get to Harry!"

"Wrong thing to say," George mumbled.

"So are you saying that any guy who asks me to dances or to visit them on holiday are just using me to get to Harry?" Hermione demanded.

"Yes."

Fred grinned at George. "Another wrong thing."

"Ronald Weasley, I really hate you sometimes, you know that," Hermione seethed.

"But he's using you! He's using you so you hate me?" Ron asked, incredulous.

"I hate you because you don't seem to get the fact that maybe... maybe I'm pretty to someone else. Maybe someone else likes me that way because of me. Not because I'm Harry's friend. He's never asked me about Harry... not once."

"I wasn't saying that you weren’t pretty!"

"Well than what are you trying to say?"

"That I am barking mad over you, and couldn't move yesterday after that kiss!" George supplied in a whisper. Fred and Ginny dissolved into a fit of giggles, almost missing Ron's reply.

"I- I don't know," Ron said slowly.

"If you don't know by now, I- I'm just going to give up."

"Give up on what?" Ron demanded hotly.

"You! You insanely dense prat. I'm just going to quit."

"Look, Hermione- I... I just don't like the idea of you writing to that Krum fellow..."

"Why? All we are is friends."

"I, I reckon that it makes me a bit, I don’t know..."

"What Ron?"

"Ron needs a clue, don't you think so George?" Fred asked, his eyes grinning innocently. George nodded and dropped the ear and raised his wand. Ginny gasped as she realized what he was going to do... he couldn't not when Ron was...

"I- well.." Ron trailed off. With a soft 'pop' George disapperated. Ginny lunged for him, her hands grabbing earnestly, but her hands closed in on empty air.

"Ronnikins!" George's voice came though the ear. Ginny looked mortified.

"Are you two willing to leave him and Hermione alone at all this year?" she asked Fred who was overcome with laughter.

"Nope," he grinned.

"Eh, George, get off of me!" Hermione squealed through the ear. Fred let out a huge guffaw and fell to the floor, clutching the string, tears coming to his eyes.

"Nope," came George's amused voice. "I rather like being pinned on top of you, Hermione. I know you've been waiting for a Weasley, and I can assure you, I'm probably a better kisser."

"GET OFF OF HER RIGHT NOW!" Ron bellowed, and finally, Ginny started giggling uncontrollably, dropping the ear.

"Brilliant," gasped Fred in between fits of laughter. "It's just bloody brilliant."

The two of them stayed in the room for over twenty minutes, laughing madly and occasionally bursting out an incoherent phrase from the argument before dissolving into a fit again.

Ginny felt truly at peace for the first time in the house. It was still alive… and still breathing, but suddenly the meaning of Dumbledore’s words came to her.

Laugh.

And it was then that Ginny truly realized… the one force that kept the house from her was happiness. Joy. Laughter.

Love.

***